1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to signaling devices, specifically a lighted tabletop device for conveying a plurality of messages from a table, such as in a restaurant, to a waiter.
2. Description of the Related Art
The common way to call a waiter or a waitress for service has been in the manner of raising a hand or raising one's voice. In today's restaurants, especially in fast-paced family restaurants, the low ratio of waiters or waitresses to tables nearly guarantees that in the time it takes for a waiter to first respond to one's signal, and then return with the requested item, you have either lost your appetite, or have taken direct action and seized the desired silverware, napkins, or salt from another table. Such an inefficient operation not only detracts from patron satisfaction, but also has a detrimental impact on revenue. Waiting ten minutes for the waiter or waitress to appear in order to request the check slows down the income stream, increases table turnover time, does nothing to increase customer satisfaction, and may even result in a loss of customers. Devices addressing these problems have been developed and encompass a wide range of devices, from technically sophisticated communication devices on the one hand, to simplistic devices offering rudimentary non-electric “on”/“off” signaling capability on the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,426, issued to Bralove in March 1949, discloses a self-contained visual signal device operated by a patron to catch the attention of a waiter or waitress. The '426 invention has only two modes of operation, “on” and “off” with no means for communicating any further intelligence. The waiter or waitress must first determine the object of desire and then make a return trip back to the table. U.S. Pat. No. 2,563,693, issued to C. G. Russell in August of 1951, discloses a similar flashlight device for signaling a waiter comprising a napkin holder having a tubular lamp and switch for operating the lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,583, issued to G. B. Edwards, Jr. in May 1953, discloses a table signaling flashlight comprising a vertical cylindrical housing, a lamp, and a switch whereby a waiter is signaled by operation of the lamp. Additional devices providing a visual signal to a waiter included U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,558,871, 3,714,410, 4,250,491, and 6,164,796. All of these devices provide a single “on” state, thereby providing the waiter or waitress of a request for service, with no means of differentiating the type of service required.
Unlike the previous disclosed devices, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,786, issued to Thomas C. White in May 1990, discloses a device which includes at least two indicators for signaling multiple messages to a waiter. The '786 patent is not electrified and has movable painted indicators for attracting the attention of the waiter.
U.S. patent Publication No. 2002/0147647, published October 2002, discloses a more sophisticated waiter-signaling device, providing an interactive, electronic communication device for expediting and resolving menu orders made by local and remote patrons. The device includes a pager unit having multi-line scrolling and buffer capabilities for receiving and transmitting messages from a touch-screen device on the patron's table.
Similarly, United Kingdom Patent No. 2,344,443, published in July 2000, discloses a receiver in the possession of a waiter and a transmitter on every table whereby the waiter is alerted by an auditory or vibratory signal when the guest depresses a single key on the transmitter.
German Patent No. 19,622,309, published in November 1997, discloses a decorative candlestick on each dining table, the candlestick having light-emitting diodes, which are switched on by a patron, whereby the table number is illuminated and a radio signal is sent from an antenna to light the corresponding lamp at a central control desk.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a tabletop signaling device for restaurants solving the aforementioned problems is desired.